The Silence and The Silent Pandemic

Mental Illness is an extreme form of lack of self-acceptance. Together, we can fight it and win over it…

Not long ago, we as a human race were well aware of handling our businesses just as well as our physical and emotional wellness.

However, lately, there’s this upsurge in everyone fighting (or trying to fight) their own demons—not somewhere outside, but in the clutches of their own minds and psyche.

Mental Illness can be as layered as the constellations in the sky and as deep as the unfathomable mysteries of an ocean. And yet, we fail to address this concern on a more serious note in its entirety.

As scary as these words sound: depression, anxiety, and so on – the alarming part of this all is that till the last moment, we may never know what and how the other person is ‘truly’ feeling! Imagine the levels of self-acceptance being so low, or may not be even present, that the person starts doubting himself for his own existence.

Read more about: Self-Care Techniques to Help You Deal with Depression

What kind of ‘self-worth’ that is so low can do to a person’s ability to breathe!

Suicide then comes as a last resort—even without one’s knowing, he is pushed back into the darkness of self-pity followed by self-doubt, and ultimately with no self-acceptance at all.

“Is there no hope for such extremes? One may wonder. But is there really any hope? Is there any way one can be cured from this mental trauma causing him to take his life, seeming so miniscule at the time?”

Not much is out there as a standard practice like any other physical ailment—you cure the wound, and new skin comes, or you fix a valve, and the heart starts working properly. Here, the concern goes deeper, more layered and more ‘unknown’. Unknown because it is ‘truly’ – in terms of the root cause, or the seed from which it erupts like a frequency wave spread across multi-directional.

Ironically, this seed can be anything: any incident, any thought, any experience, any person, any memory…

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The question remains, “What triggers someone to take the extreme step of committing suicide?”

Can we even comprehend the state of a person who’s about to take such a drastic step? Is it a total lack of self-acceptance or an extreme sense of self?

A paradox, isn’t it?

Well, it is, now, why is it not, is the question?

A typical alarming thought in suicide cases is, ‘Why Me’? It is equally a terrifying sense of self as ‘I don’t want to be Me’. In most cases, there’s a total disconnect between what is happening outside to what is happening inside. And, when this disconnection becomes over-powering, blocking one’s senses and the ability to think and differentiate between right and wrong, and when the intellect goes for a toss – suicide becomes the only option.

Suggested Article: High Risk of Committing Suicide in Men: What Is the Reason Behind It?

Does seeking help really work?

Yes, definitely. The primary output of seeking or speaking with someone is getting a sense of belonging, a sense of being accepted with all that you are and believe. And here, in that very moment, the knot—the very knot-at-the-root gets untangled.

1. Professional help is always advisable, but speaking to a dear friend or a loved one is also a good start.
2. Be aware of all the concerns you face, and without hiding, have complete trust in the expert.
3. Set up a timeline and with utmost dedication, work towards it.
4. Track your progress, and from time to time, treat yourself with that favorite book you always wanted to read, or the movie that you grew up idolising, that favourite cup of coffee at your favorite coffee place, and the list can go on…
5. Go ahead and check all the to-do list items you have been waiting to do for so long.

Talk to Our Mental Health Experts

But these things will only work if you will make sure to take the first and most important step of seeking help. Facing a complete roadblock with hell-hounds screaming in your head, night and day – the only thing that matters is the first step towards not pretending to be okay.

Pretense has crushed more souls than anything else. Pretending to fit in, pretending to be okay, pretending to be great in any situation, pretending to be strong and never being emotionally drained – all these are like those knots tying your mental peace to extreme opposite poles that never match.

Suicide was never an answer and never will be. The answer will always be to talk and share with someone you consider your confidant. There must never be any guilt in accepting that you are not mentally well. It is like taking medications for some physical ailment. Life is short and beautiful, so try to match it with its worth — well, while you are at it. Even the basic understanding of this will shift your focus from “Why Me?” to “Okay, how I can help myself with my Mental Health and Emotional Wellness?”

The time is now. Make your priority.

There’s no right time to do this.

Just start where you are.